Museums of the Landes

The Landes department is packed with museums, each more fascinating than the last. Here are the top 10 places to visit on your camping vacation in the Landes!

Écomusée de Marquèze (Sabres)

Located in the commune of Sabres, the Écomusée de Marquèze is one of the must-see cultural sites in the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park. A steam train takes you to the heart of this “living museum” that smells of the Landes of yesteryear, in the days of stilt-walking shepherds. You’ll discover century-old Landes houses, the trades of yesteryear (weaver, miller, ploughman, resin maker), traditional Gascon games and farm animals from ancient breeds.

Borda Museum (Dax)

Housed in the Chapelle des Carmes, one of Dax’s oldest buildings (1525), the Musée de Borda is devoted entirely to the archaeology and history of Dax. Among the museum’s treasures is a bronze statue of Mercury, one of the largest of the Gallo-Roman era, dating from the 3rd century AD. Also worth a visit: the archaeological crypt, housing the remains of a Roman civil basilica. Fans of ancient history will not be disappointed!

The French Army Light Aviation Museum (Dax)

Still in Dax, we continue our visit with our heads in the clouds, but our feet on the ground. Head for the Musée de l’Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (ALAT), which retraces the history of the helicopter, with all kinds of aircraft, from its origins to the present day. A beautiful aeronautical heritage, with some truly impressive planes and helicopters!

Chalosse Museum (Montfort-en-Chalosse)

Just a few minutes from Dax, the Musée de la Chalosse keeps alive the rural memory of Chalosse. Set on a wine-growing estate, this former 19th-century farmhouse houses a manor house typical of Landes architecture, a wine storehouse with its Roman wine press, a vineyard conservatory with 55 different grape varieties, a bakery still in use, not to mention the farm animals, Chalosse oxen and Gascon sows.

The Hydraviation Museum (Biscarrosse)

While in Biscarrosse, discover the Musée de l’Hydravion (seaplane museum) and take to the skies at the former Latécoère base. This museum, the only one of its kind in Europe, traces the history of the first transatlantic flights to New York and Fort-de-France. It’s also the perfect place to take your first seaplane flight!

The Priory Museum (Mimizan)

In Mimizan, the Musée du Prieuré is one of the Landes region’s leading cultural sites, dedicated to the natural and human history of the region, from prehistory to the Middle Ages. The highlight of the visit is the bell tower-porch of the church of Sainte-Marie and its sculpted and ornate tympanum, a medieval jewel listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Musée Despiau-Wlérick (Mont-de-Marsan)

The Musée Despiau-Wlérick is Mont-de-Marsan’s fine arts museum. A large part of the collection is devoted to French figurative sculpture between 1880 and 1950. The place is magnificent, with gigantic statues and a lovely park. An interesting and instructive museum, and a free one at that!

The Lady of Brassempouy House

The Brassempouy Prehistosite is one of the most prestigious museums in the Landes region. La Maison de la Dame is a museum space dedicated to the prehistoric site of Brassempouy, where the “Lady in the Hood” was discovered in 1894. This fragment of a carved mammoth ivory statuette is the oldest known representation of a human face.

Musée de la Faïence et des Arts de la Table (Samadet)

South of Mont-de-Marsan, on the road to Hagetmau, the small town of Samadet is home to a superb ceramics museum, inherited from the “Manufacture royale de fayance” created in 1732. The museum presents a rich collection of old and contemporary pieces decorated in blue and green monochrome, polychrome flowers, roses and goshawks, in the purest tradition of 18th-century pottery masters.

Le Musée de la Course Landaise (Bascons)

In Bascons, a small village in the Pays de Marsan region, the Musée de la Course Landaise is the only museum in the Landes region devoted to Gascon bullfighting traditions. It explains the history and origins of the Course Landaise, through dioramas, video testimonials, slide shows, costumes, posters, postcards and more. You’ll learn everything there is to know about this Gascon game, which has become a regional sport recognized by the French Ministry of Youth and Sports.